New Biker - would appreciate advice

[st3rius]

Hello everyone.

I've been holding on to my provisional licence for about a year now before deciding to do my CBT (have booked it for end of the month). I've always wanted to ride since I was in high school but never had the financial capacity to do so.

I've been looking around and have read good things about the Varadero 125; however would much rather trust firsthand feedback on forums rather than magazine/website reviews. Does anyone here have experience with one of these bikes? I was thinking of the CBR125 however I am rather tall at 6' 3" and I've read that the CBR is rather small.

I've also come across the thread discussing restricting a CBR400 as opposed to buying a 125. This is rather new to me; would the cost of restricting the bike be astronomical, and would the insurance companies charge me an arm and a leg if I were to insure a restricted 400 instead of the Vara 125? Could you also recommend reliable albeit not-too-costly insurance companies? I'm 24, and live on Edgware Road and would park my bike on resident permit parking bays behind my flat, with 0 years NCB (I haven't driven in the UK, but have 5 years driving experience back home with a clean record).

I'd appreciate any replies/advice, and if anyone hears of a Vara 125 or similar going for a reasonable price then please let me know as I'd definitely be interested.

Cheers!

[druidsam]

hiya st3rius, welcome to the forum.once you have done your CBT you can only ride a 125cc machine,the varadero is a good choice because its a honda, and its physically a large machine.. as for restricting larger engined bikes,that for when you pass a restricted test and are not allowed to go above 33 bhp. so get the CBT done and pick up a veradero 125 as the first steps to getting your full license , you dont say what age you are and that will determine what test you can take,look here Minimum ages and rules for learner drivers and riders
and here Motorcycles you can ride for more information



....................Sam

[grotbag]

Greetings and welcome to the forum st3rius



Like what Sam say's, hondas good and easy to pick up parts etc. You need to do your CBT before anything else to see if biking is for you

If your 24 you should be able to choose between the A2 test (and ride up to a 33 bhp for two years after the test) or the DAS test which is ridden on a larger bike, if you pass this test your not restricted to the size of bike you ride after.

I saw somewhere on the net that restricting a bike costs anywhere between £50 to £150. If you do a google search you may find more info.

There are some thread which have links to insurence search engines which you could use to get some idea of the cost of insurence :-
Bike insurance cheapest I found
tesco insurance

[st3rius]

Thanks guys. I've had a look at insurance since the post, and have found quotes ranging from over £1000+ to a minimum of £500 (for comprehensive).

Based on your experiences, should I go for comprehensive or 3p+ft? I'm gonna use the bike for zipping around london mainly, with an occasional jaunt down to portsmouth on the A3 to go angling.

Also, what should I be looking for if I go to view a used varadero? Being a 4 stroke some ppl have advised me that the engine is rather bulletproof; what would an acceptable mileage be for a 2003 model costing around £2k? Should the oil/filters have been changed recently, and if not how much would I be looking to spend to change them? I don't mind a DIY job, and would rather for out for tools which I can use in the long run as opposed to forking out money for labour each time I need to change these parts. I'm pretty sure most of the ppl on this board do DIY maintenance as opposed to relying on a garage, as that would substantially reduce maintenance costs right?

[druidsam]

if you do another search to compare the difference between tpft and comp you may find that it isnt really that much,if you cam afford comp then obviously thats the best,my bike is tpft, but that will change at renewal time, as for mileage then if you can get an 03 plate with under 20.000 i would consider that good,if you can get less than that its great and the honda engines really are bullet proof and if buying private it would be better to change the oil and filters as the buyer may well lie about when they were last changed.



.............................Sam

[Rerb]

Howdy,
I have a bit of experience with the Vara125, my lads mate has one. Someone tried to nick the thing at college and I ended up fixing it for him which included replacing the fork seals as well as replacing the bars, levers etc from the being knocked over. I found the thing very easy to find parts and work on plus it was a very easy and forgiving ride, well suitable for a tall learner. Once he's finished with it his father is going to have a go learning on it.

[jonnywombat]

Just for a different view point....

Personally I would save the money you were going to spend on a 125, and do an intensive course to get your full license..

Then you have a whole world of choice....

A friend of mine recently went from never having ridden a bike to being fully legal on a new zx6r in a little over 3 weeks!! Not that i agree with his choice of bike for someone so inexperienced... but you can't tell some people...

[Singh600RR]

The advice given by the above is sound and i cannot add anymore apart from my experience with a CBR125 R4

I am 5ft 11" and the CBR 125 is a small bike - i looked a bit too big for it. But the bike is brilliant it is quick enough for city riding and you can chuck it around, as it has good grip and balance. It's not too quick on dual carridgeways as you'll only get around 65-70mph on a straight level road (depends on your weight as well).

It is very economical in petrol and insurance shouldn't be too much. There's not much space to carry stuff - so if your angling gear can fit into a back pack - forget anything else!! Maintenance is real easy as well.

So it really depends on wether you want the sports bike look or cruiser look.

[st3rius]

Cheers for all the advice guys. Definitely lots to take away and consider!